On Friday, we finished the drive to Seattle, grabbed some lunch at the kosher pizza shop, and headed to our host homes for the last Shabbos together on GIVE WEST. We thank the Seattle community and BCMH Congregation for hosting us and making our Shabbos and Tisha B’Av experience so memorable. Shabbos felt very surreal, as no one wanted to accept it was the last one together this summer! We made the most of it with crazy ruach at the Friday night oneg, amazing Torah learning after Kiddush and throughout the afternoon, beautiful Divrei Torah from the girls, and powerful singing at ebbing. We enjoyed having all of our meals and programming all together at the shul this week. We heard fantastic and inspiring words of Torah and chizuk from GIVE WESTers Jaclyn Kholodenko, Shani Sukol, Hayley Tanzman, and Sofia Leos. Director Leah Moskovich delivered an optional shiur during menucha about exile and redemption. Seattle NCSY director Ari Hoffman and Leah spoke at ebbing along similar lines, preparing us and helping us relate to the day we so much had hoped we would not have to face, the day of Tisha B’Av. After joining together in tremendous unity, sharing words of admiration about every single girl in the GIVE WEST ebbing circle, and singing with the greatest kavanah, we found ourselves in the shul listening to the reading of Eichah and kinnot. A most beautiful Shabbos had ended, but the geulah had not yet arrived. The girls moved from the shul into a dark room lit only by the tea lights forming the shape of a giant Star of David. The GIVE WEST staff sat in the middle around the star to lead an unbelievable kumsitz of tears, of mourning, of hope, and of connection. Advisors shared their own feelings about what Tisha B’Av means to them and we all mourned over the suffering in the world, the struggles we face on a national level and in each of our own lives. The following morning after Shacharis, we gathered in a small room to learn about and read the Tisha B’Av Kinnot together. With each lamentation came a personal explanation from a staff member and a hint as to how we can relate each one to our own lives. When midday hit, we had finished Kinnot and were ready to step into our #GIVEing mode. Our girls graciously receive the youth of Seattle for an educational program they had designed this past week about Ahavas Yisrael and rebuilding our holy Beis HaMikdash. It felt great to take all of our tears and turn them into something positive, productive, and meaningful not only to us, but uplifting to others. After the program had finished and Mincha was recited, we had the opportunity to stay at the shul to watch videos with themes relating to Tisha B’Av or to go home to rest for some time. An optional shiur about the power, potential, and leadership of women in Tanach and modern times was given by program “mommy” and logistics coordinator Talia Borenstein as sunset approached. With an hour of the fast left to go, we walked together down to the park for the final kumsitz and closing of Tisha B’Av. We really made that hour count, songs, stories, and prayers lifted up to the heavens. We were blown away by a beautiful and moving piece of poetry shared by GIVE WESTer Tova Rosen (shared below) about striving to remember and long for a temple and connection we personally never experienced and truly cannot remember at all. In between songs, other GIVE WESTers took the floor and shared their own thoughts having reached the end of Tisha B’Av on GIVE WEST. On Friday, when asked what was this upcoming day of Tisha B’Av, the girls had responded it was “a fast day”. After 24+ hours really feeling the loss and reaching for the redemption together, the answers we heard of “What Tisha B’Av Means to Me” were deeper and more awe-inspiring than we could ever have imagined. We walked back to the shul for Havdalah, Maariv, and break-fast, arms around each other, singing “Uvenei Yerushalayim Ircha BeRachamim Tashuv”… and smiling through our tears, faithful in G-d’s master plan, still yearning together for the ultimate redemption.
Tisha B’Av Reflections by NCSY GIVE WESTer Tova Rosen (Cedarhurst, NY)
I don’t remember.
My home,
Hashems home
Burning into flames.
Captured,
Conquered,
destroyed
We were exiled
The longest exile
The final exile
I don’t remember
The continuous disasters and destructions
that occurred on this day
families torn apart
Children murdered
cities collapsed
Terror,
trauma,
starvation
and sufferings
Infinite sufferings
The loss of Jewish unity
The ultimate misery for Bnei Yisreal
I don’t have the ability to remember
Our fathers sacrificing their lives
So that we can live ours
To harmonize
To connect
For the sake of G-d
I don’t remember
Yet, I take a few steps back
I mourn
and reflect
Taking pride in the fact that I am a part of a nation
That is still standing
Despite the numerous
wars,
Slavery,
Inquisitions,
Murders
While the other great empires
are now demolished
But we still stand
Hand in hand
Not great in numbers
But great in contribution
I still don’t remember
Any of the victories
or losses
I have zero recollection of all the affliction
torment
Pain
that occurred
on this day
I don’t have the capacity to remember
This day that lives in infamy in our history
Or
How my home looked
But that will never stop me from trying to take a part in rebuilding it
To return to Jerusalem
I do not remember
But I pause for a moment of clarity
I do not remember
But I remember by never forgetting.